Losing at least two critical members of your bullpen for the final two and a half months of the season has to be disheartening to the Phillies, who consider themselves contenders in the NL East at 48-48, 6.5 games out of first place. The news on Mike Adams and Jeremy Horst comes via the Inquirer’s Matt Gelb:

Mike Adams did not respond to the conservative treatment for numerous tears in his shoulder. He will likely undergo surgery that could sideline him for the beginning of 2014. Adams is owed $7 million next season.

Lefthander Jeremy Horst’s season is likely over. Soreness in his elbow recurred during a rehab stint at triple-A Lehigh Valley. He visited noted orthopedist James Andrews for a second opinion and was injected with a platelet-rich plasma shot. He will not throw for at least six weeks.

Gelb also mentions that right-hander Michael Stutes is still experiencing soreness in his biceps and will be shut down for at least another two weeks.

The Phillies have the worst bullpen ERA in the National League at 4.39. After getting rid of veterans like Chad Durbin and Raul Valdes earlier in the season, the Phillies have been relying on a lot of young, unproven pitchers like Phillippe Aumont and it hasn’t worked out. Their awful ERA has been caused in large part by a league-worst 10.2 percent walk rate and a 19.8 percent strikeout rate, which ranks as the fifth-lowest among all 30 bullpens. Additionally, they have allowed hits on balls put in play at the highest rate in the league at .315.

GM Ruben Amaro said last week he is shopping for a center fielder and at least one reliever, but it doesn’t seem like just one reliever will do the trick.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher has reversed course and will continue to pay minor leaguers. Fisher tells Slusser, “I concluded I made a mistake.” He said he is also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees.

The A’s decided in late May to stop paying paying minor leaguers as of June 1, which was the earliest date on which any club could do so after an MLB-wide agreement to pay minor leaguers through May 31 expired. In the event, the A’s were the only team to stop paying the $400/week stipends to players before the end of June. Some teams, notable the Royals and Twins, promised to keep the payments up through August 31, which is when the minor league season would’ve ended. The Washington Nationals decided to lop off $100 of the stipends last week but, after a day’s worth of blowback from the media and fans, reversed course themselves.

An @sfchronicle exclusive: A's owner John Fisher reverses course, apologizes: team will pay minor-leaguers; "I concluded I made a mistake," he tells me. He's also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees: https://t.co/8HUBkFAaBx)